Revealing chemical dark matter to generate new medicines with Dr. Damien Keogh of BluMaiden Biosciences

<p>Dr. Damien Keogh, Founder and CEO of BluMaiden Biosciences, joins the show to discuss how artificial intelligence, computational biology, and entrepreneurship are transforming drug discovery. Drawing on a career that spans molecular microbiology, academia, venture capital, and biotech company building, Damien shares his journey from studying microbial biology in Ireland to founding a Singapore-based biotech company developing novel therapeutics from the human microbiome.</p><p>In this episode, Damien explores how his experiences across research, investing, and startup leadership shaped the development of BluMaiden’s AI-driven drug discovery platform. He explains why successful biotech ventures require more than great science, highlighting the importance of multidisciplinary teams, founder adaptability, strategic execution, and a clear path to commercial value.</p><p><br /></p><p>He also provides an inside look at BluMaiden’s approach to discovering small-molecule therapeutics, including how the company integrates microbiome, clinical, and multi-omics datasets to identify new drug targets and candidates. Damien discusses where AI is already creating value in drug discovery, where human expertise remains indispensable, and why validation continues to be the defining challenge for computational approaches.</p><p>Along the way, the conversation covers venture creation versus academic spinouts, fundraising and company building in Singapore, the evolving biotech investment landscape, and emerging technologies such as agentic AI, laboratory automation, and quantum computing. Damien also shares practical insights for founders, researchers, and investors on evaluating opportunities, building resilient companies, and turning scientific innovation into meaningful patient impact.</p><p><br /></p><p>Host: Shamieraah Jamal</p><p>Editors: Shamieraah Jamal, Chi Dam, Dillon Chew</p><p><br /></p><p>02:00 Meet Damien Keogh</p><p>07:05 VC and what makes startups win</p><p>09:38 Founding BluMaiden</p><p>19:20 Building an AI Moat</p><p>25:30 Validation Roadmap to Licensing </p><p>30:55 Biotech Collaboration Verticals</p><p>33:10 Hype Versus Reality</p><p>44:58 The direction ahead</p><p>51:57 Ecosystem Support and Talent</p>